During a vehicle collision, there are commonly two impacts. In a primary impact, the vehicle impacts another object. In a secondary impact, a vehicle occupant impacts a component of the vehicle. For example, a vehicle operator sometimes impacts the steering wheel due to inertia. In order to help try to protect drivers from such secondary impacts, it has become common practice to use an impact-absorbing type steering column. A collapsible steering column system is an example of an impact-absorbing type steering column.
The structure of an impact-absorbing type steering column apparatus is such that when the driver suffers a secondary impact, the impact energy acts on the steering column in the frontward direction of the vehicle. The steering column may detach from one or more fixation points with the vehicle body and move forward (e.g., in a collapse stroke), so that the impact energy is absorbed in the course of the collapse stroke. An external collapsing column assembly is an example of a system in which the entire column will translate relative to its fixation points. An internal collapsing column assembly typically will be fixed at one or more fixation points near one of the ends of the assembly within the vehicle. During a collapse stroke from a secondary impact, components of the assembly will longitudinally collapse (e.g., generally within the volume it occupies within the vehicle in normal operation; that is, generally within its “footprint” in the vehicle), but generally will not collapse beyond a certain distance relative to a predetermined fixation point. An internal collapsing system thus has a stroke, but may remain fixed to the vehicle at the one or more fixation points.
For many applications, steering column assemblies incorporate one or both of a tilt or telescopic function. For these applications, it is common to employ levers for manual performance of such functions by a vehicle user. By way of example, in what is known as a “manual rake and reach” steering column assembly, the assembly will have both a tilt (“rake”) and a telescopic (“reach”) function, with a lever provided for a vehicle user to manually release for affording rake and reach adjustment to a selected position, and then to re-engage for fixing the steering column in the selected position.
Notwithstanding efforts to improve collapsible steering column assemblies, (e.g., internally collapsible steering column assemblies), there remains a need for alternative assemblies, particularly those in which during an impact such as a secondary impact, one or both of a user operating device (e.g., a lever) and a steering wheel (if employed) may be translated forward and away from a vehicle user.
The following U.S. patent documents may be related to the present invention: Published U.S. Patent Application Nos. 2008/0236325; 2008/0111363; 2009/0174177 2010/0300238; 2010/0032933; and 8,047,096, all of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. Published U.S. Application No. 2013/0233117 also may have teachings related to the present invention and is incorporated by reference herein.